Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Knowing the shelf life of your food storage items is a very important part of any food storage program. The wide varieties of food items that are available make it hard to keep track of the shelf life of canned and pre-packaged food items that are common in most parts of the country.

Mrs. RW recommends http://stilltasty.com/ as a great website for checking the shelf life of your food storage items. They cover a wide variety of food items from canned to frozen to opened or un-opened packages. They also include the shelf life of food items commonly found in your pantry, your refrigerator and your freezer.

So take some time and check out this handy website if you need to check the shelf life of your food storage items. From fish to dairy and veggies to fruits, they have some great information for you. Whether you prefer canned, dried or fresh you can get the information you may need to help you keep the shelf life of your food storage items up to date.

10 comments:

...now try and give an easy explanation on the 'sell by:date and the "ugh,i aint eatin'that" expiration date ?!?!?

...when i was getting in to the rotation schedule of my stores last year,i came across a couple/few cans,with 'use by' dates in the '06's...two were mystery cans,no labels...turned out to be corn and carrots ?!(i got a few more mystery cans,does anyone else ?...lol)...anyway,i guess under controlled conditions the dates are only a referance...

Ken, expiration dates are a tricky thing. Expiration dates exist to cover a manufacturer's legal backsides. Millions of dollars of food every year is discarded because people think that it's not good anymore. One unfortunate example was a gal I heard of who had buckets of honey and once it crystalized, she tossed it, not realizing that honey can last practically forever. Like you mentioned, under controlled conditions, like keeping your stores in a cool, dry place can do a lot to extend the lifespan of your food. http://tinyurl.com/punrwr

Cans should be checked for dents, rust, or bulging which can be signs of a bad product. The interior lining of the can may be damaged by any of these conditions.

The sell by, best by or use by dates are guidelines for the best or freshest tasting product. Some loss of texture or quality of taste occurs after the recommended dates but should still be safe to eat.

Just remember that if it smells bad or looks bad...it probably is!

When in doubt, throw it out!

We got the Sharpie multi-packs...Mrs. RW puts the dates on the cans in big, easy to read numbers.

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Preppin' Tips - DIY

An expedient oxygen absorber for a 5 gallon storage container can be made by placing a golf ball size piece of steel wool and a tablespoon of salt inside a paper napkin and placing it in the container. The salt will absorb the residual moisture and the steel wool will naturally absorb the oxygen.

Preppin' Tips - Recipes

Make Your Own Electrolyte Beverage (Gatorade, Pedialyte, etc.)

To one quart of water add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 8 teaspoons of granulated sugar. Thoroughly mix all ingredients together.

This will replace electrolytes lost by the body due to dehydration caused by diarrhea, vomiting, excessive sweating, etc. A package of Kool-Aid, Crystal Light, etc. may be added to enhance the flavor and color.

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